A LaSalle County health department representative presented the department’s FY26 budget summary to the finance committee on Sept. 30, asking the committee to ratify a modest levy increase and outlining larger insurance-driven cost growth across county funds.

The health department’s proposed revenue and expenditures for FY26 are $3,572,470, the presenter said, a roughly $99,496 increase over the prior year largely driven by higher health insurance costs. The presenter said the department expects to draw down cash on hand and that the board approved salary increases tied to union and nonunion pay adjustments.

Separately, county staff reported that the county’s self-insurance/insurance administration fund and general fund are both seeing substantial increases tied to carrier rate changes. The county’s broker-provided estimates show an overall health insurance cost increase of about 22 percent next year; staff described combining claims, stop-loss and administrative fees into a single expense line to reflect how the county is billed. The presentation noted the county is switching retiree coverage to a new carrier that would reduce a potential 50 percent increase down to about 5 percent for that retiree block.

Finance staff said the combined insurance and administrative cost changes make the general fund and the internal insurance fund the single largest hit to the county budget for FY26. Committee members asked for line-by-line comparisons for single-coverage out-of-pocket changes; staff said it would supply detailed figures after the meeting.

The health department presenter walked the committee through grant changes, including the end of several grants (family case management, a partially funded respiratory grant and a diaper grant) and two new grants: a Better Birth Outcomes grant and a safe-needle-disposal grant. She said the department expects a spend-down of earlier SEPA grant funds and that some program revenue is unpredictable.

Committee members asked how many employees currently elect the HSA/high-deductible plan; staff estimated roughly 72 employees now and projected about 100 employees by next year as more staff become eligible.

No final board vote on insurance policy or benefit design was recorded at the Sept. 30 meeting; staff said insurance resolutions and final selections would appear before the full board in early October.